Big John
The Big John is the fourth boss of Metal Slug 4. Information The Big John was originally a giant robot which belonged to an amusement park. The Amadeus Syndicate later captured the robot and converted it into a weapon, turning everyone in the park into mummy or zombie using a virus similar to what the purple gas and Monoeye UFO used respectively. It tries to turn the player into a zombie which, if successful, could end up being its undoing, as this opens up the possibility for the player to attack via the powerful "Vomit Laser". Details The fight against Big John is composed of three phases: #In the first phase, a metal claw is suspended at the top of the screen. It will move sideways until it stops right above the player. It will then descend its claw to smash the player or by shoot an electric laser downwards. The player can get on the claw when it strikes down for a few seconds until it retreats back up. #After the metal claw is destroyed, the opening will periodically release purple energy spheres. Big John's mask breaks at this point. From the mouth of the actual face until the end of the battle, a Rebel soldier will periodically jump out to aid the Big John in its battle. #In the third and final phase, Big John's eye sensors will turn blue, and its second hand appears from the right side of the screen. The second hand attacks by sending a rocket to the left side of the screen and deploying a large number of propelled virus vials that turn the players into zombies upon contact. Blue virus vials contain an item, which is either a Heavy Machine Gun, Rocket Launcher, Enemy Chaser, a mummy antidote or a first-aid kit. The rocket can be destroyed with sufficient damage. Players can jump onto and walk on the rocket without being killed. In Other Games ''Metal Slug Defense'' Introduced in version 1.26, Big John can be purchased as a unit for 300 medals. It costs 600 AP to deploy. Being a stationary unit, it is deployed using a Miner. It fires missiles as its primary attack, and attacks close-range units by releasing virus vials; it summons its laser cannon from the sky as its special, and uses it to cover a relatively short area in front of it. Its missiles deal high damage have very long detection range and infinite range once fired. This in combination with its fairly high health and the fast running speed of its builder make it one of the most effective units in the game. However, it cannot hit even low-flying air units with its missiles, leaving it largely defenseless against air units, which generally sit safely outside the range of its special. If inadequately defended, melee units - particularly Green Hazmat Soldiers and Smashers, which can deploy units behind/hover over the missiles - can shut it down by forcing it to rely on its weak close-range attack. Big John's builder is also vulnerable to penetrating shots from units like Big Shiee, which can give the opponent large amounts of AP while wasting your own. Metal Slug Attack The Big John appears for the "Zombie Parade" Extra Ops. Unit pieces can be earned through Another Story's "Halloween on a Moonless Night". New variants are also introduced. Variants Big John: The original giant machine doll. Jade John: A variation of Big John developed for extremely harsh environments. Appears in Metal Slug Attack. Real Jhon [sic]: Big John's true form. Its developers focused more on its abilities rather than appearance. Appears in Metal Slug Attack. Trivia *After exactly 15 shots at its face or destroying the claw, the Big John's mask breaks apart revealing the robotic frame. *The sound emitted by the propelled virus vials once it drops into the ground is the death sound of the Big Snail. However, in Metal Slug Defense and Metal Slug Attack, Big John's bubbles have their own sound effects instead of Big Snail's death. *Like all Metal Slug 4 bosses, it was made using old sprites from previous Metal Slug games. * The Big John appears to be piloted by a Rebel soldier. If one looks closely at its neck after the mask is destroyed, a reused sprite of the LV Armor can be seen, with a Rebel riding inside of it.